UK defence spending falls short of NATO minimum, thinktank says
Defence spending in the UK has fallen below the 2% of GDP required by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), according to new research from a thinktank.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies estimates that around 1.98% of GDP was spent on defence during 2016.
Despite the fact that it suggests a narrow miss for Theresa May's government, it appears to be at odds with her commitment to fully back NATO at a time when the support of new US President Donald Trump has been doubted.
According to the research, only the US, Poland, Estonia and Greece meet the 2% requirement.
The government have responded strongly to the report, with the Ministry of Defence stating that the think tank's figures are not correct.
"NATO's own figures clearly show that the UK spends over 2% of its GDP on defence," a spokesman said. "Our defence budget is the biggest in Europe, the second largest in NATO, and it is growing each year as we invest £178bn in new equipment and the UK steps up globally, with new ships, submarines and aircraft over the next decade."
May travelled to Washington last month for a meeting with the new US President, in which she affirmed her commitment to making sure other European powers to reach the minimum spend.
"I've agreed to continue on my efforts to encourage my fellow European leaders to deliver on their commitments to spend 2% of their GDP on defence so that the burden is more fairly shared," May during her trip to the White House.